GET INVOLVED! LOCAL ELECTIONS MATTER!
By Urszula Tanouye
You should get involved in this Consolidated General Election. The representatives elected this April 4th control the majority of your property tax dollars. They can spend it wisely and make your community a desirable place to live with rising property values and excellent public services, or they can spend it poorly and lead to languishing community reputation and declining property value. The most extreme candidates advocate for the destruction of our institutions outright by gutting budgets, denying basic services, and waging culture wars.
Throughout Downers Grove Township, there are contested races for school boards, library boards, and village councils. DGTDO has taken the time to check in with residents in contested districts who can vouch for the non-partisan candidates who take the office and their responsibility to their communities seriously. If you’re looking to help voters in other parts of DuPage, https://www.indivisibledupage.com/voter-info has compiled recommendations from all townships that have published lists and are working on compiling links to recommended candidates’ websites and contact info under the drop down option “candidates to consider.”
Do your property values and your community a favor – vote and help others vote responsibly. If you have the capacity, help a candidate you believe in or donate to their campaign. In small campaigns like these, even modest donations of time or funds make a huge difference. Most candidates this cycle are first timers. They absolutely need your help.
To follow my own advice, I urge D86 residents to support Asma Akhras and Deborah Willoughby, D99 residents to support the slate of Kara Casten, Ken Dawson, and Don Renner, D201 residents to support Carlos Hevia and Adina Hoover, and D66 residents to support the Stronger 66 slate (Edson “Tripp” Burton, Tiffany Watson, and Nikki Giancola-Shanks). I urge Indian Prairie Public Library residents to re-elect #2-5 on your ballot (Victoria Suriano, Marian Krupicka, Don Damon, and Sri Rao) to continue their track record of providing excellent service and support for our diverse community. We are looking for volunteers for GOTV activities including postcards to voters, phone banking, texting, and canvassing as well as yards to plant signs. Please contact campaigns directly or message me for help connecting (dg099dems@gmail.com).